Eight Point Military Utility Cover

ABSTRACT

The device herein disclosed and described provides an eight point military utility cover that does not require pressing to maintain its shape. The utility cover has a cup shaped crown portion, an outer circular rim portion, an inner circular rim portion and a semi-rigid bill portion. The crown portion is prepared from a first piece and a second piece of cloth, wherein a plurality of semi-rigid material sections are adhered to the first piece of cloth; one section on the front, one section on the back, three sections on the left side and three sections on the right side. The second piece of cloth is adhered to the plurality of semi-rigid material sections on the first piece of cloth forming a three layered sheet. This three layered sheet is folded into the cup-shaped crown and the folds are stitched to maintain the cup-shape of the crown.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/516,485 filed 7 Jun. 2017.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to head gear. More particularly, to hats, or “covers” as they may be called by specific areas of the armed forces, that require little or no care to maintain because they are resistant to wrinkling eliminating the need for ironing while in use to meet military standards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The utility cover, also known as the utility cap and eight-pointed cover, is the United States Marine Corps cap, worn with their utility uniform. It is an eight-pointed hat, with a visor similar to a baseball cap. It is worn “blocked”, that is, creased and peaked, for a sharper appearance. It is also worn by the U.S. Navy and is under consideration by the United States Coast Guard's uniform board.

The utility cover was first issued in World War II, with the Herringbone Twill utility uniform issued in 1943. It was based on a US Army field cap design and a railroad engineer cap. World War II Marines nicknamed it the “raider cap” from its use by the Marine Raiders. It was made from herringbone twill until 1959, when the material changed to cotton sateen.

It is currently issued in desert and woodland MARPAT camouflage patterns, though older versions came in M81 woodland, six-color desert, three-color desert camouflage patterns and olive drab. All versions except those worn with the Navy Working Uniform, or those worn by Navy Seabees and Beach masters, have the Marine Corps' Eagle, Globe, and Anchor insignia on the front above the bill, the Navy versions having the wearer's rank insignia instead.

When initially purchased, the cover is not provided with a stiffener that maintains the crisp appearance to meet military dress code. Consequently, the cover must be ironed and particular stiffeners are not permitted to be used because of their ability to be seen with night vision equipment. After continued use and care required to maintain a clean appearance, the cover can become wrinkled. Consequently, the wearer must continually iron the cover for proper military appearance. Because of the complexity of the cover, containing a top, eight sides, a rim and a bill, the wearer can spend a significant amount of time learning the proper sequence for achieving the appropriate result from ironing. Further, the amount of time required to achieve the desired appearance can be significant.

When considering the amount of time that a single individual in the military commits to maintaining their uniform, it is clear that any reduction in that time would be of benefit, thereby diverting this energy to other potentially more important tasks.

A variety of methods known in the art have been used to instill or introduce stiffness to a fabric or material. Clothing starch is a liquid that is prepared by mixing a vegetable starch in water (earlier preparations also had to be boiled), and has been used in the laundering of clothes for centuries. Starch was widely used in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries to stiffen the wide collars and ruffs of fine linen. During the 19th century and early 20th century, it was used to stiffen the collars and sleeve cuffs of men's shirts by applying starch as the clothes were being ironed. Aside from the smooth, crisp edges it gave to clothing, it served practical purposes as well. Dirt and sweat from a person's neck and wrists would stick to the starch rather than to the fibers of the clothing, and could be easily wash away along with the starch. After each laundering, the starch would be reapplied. Today, the product is sold in aerosol cans for home use. Inserting a thin stiff felt matrix has also been used between two pieces of fabric to instill a resistance to wrinkling during use or washing. Today, this method is used commonly in men's shirts specifically, in the collar and cuffs. This matrix has been used to toughen these areas for permanent press garments when being washed so that the collars and cuffs retain their pressed look. However, while starch can be easily removed and then reapplied this requires ironing and can be very time consuming. Stiffening felts can reduce the amount of time ironing specifically in the locations in which the felt is applied they break down over time. Since these felts cannot be easily replaced the garment must then be ironed on a regular basis. Once again introducing the amount of time necessary to maintain these clothes.

As such, there is a continuing unmet need in the garment industry as well as the military for materials that are used to construct uniforms and their accessories to be less labor intensive with respect to their care. A material that can be inserted between two pieces of cloth used to construct the garment that retains its rigidity throughout the life of the garment and can withstand the chemicals applied to remove dirt or other blemishes from the cloth as well as complete submersion in water without compromising the integrity of the material, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for ironing.

The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device herein disclosed and described provides an eight point military utility cover having a cup shaped crown portion, an outer circular rim portion, an inner circular rim portion and a semi-rigid bill portion. The cup-shaped crown portion having an enclosed top, an open circular bottom, a front, a back, a left side and a right side, wherein the circular bottom has an inner and an outer side. The outer circular rim portion is affixed to the outer circular bottom of the cup-shaped crown portion. The inner circular rim portion is affixed to the inner circular bottom of the cup-shaped crown portion. The semi-rigid bill portion is affixed to the circular rim oriented and extending from the front of the cup-shaped crown portion, wherein the crown portion is prepared from a first piece and a second piece of cloth, wherein a plurality of semi-rigid material sections are adhered to the first piece of cloth; one semi-rigid material section on the front, one semi-rigid material section on the back, three semi-rigid material sections on the left side and three semi-rigid material sections on the right side. The second piece of cloth is adhered to the plurality of semi-rigid material sections on the first piece of cloth forming a three layered sheet, wherein the three layered sheet is folded into the cup-shaped crown and wherein the folds are stitched to maintain the cup-shape of the crown.

In one embodiment, the cup-shaped crown, circular rim and bill portion are prepared from a heavy cloth material, wherein the heavy cloth material is a canvas-type material such as for example Marpat™.

In another embodiment, the semi-rigid material sections are adhered to the first and/or the second piece of cloth by an adhesive tape, wherein the adhesive tape is double-sided adhesive tape, such as for example Killer Red™.

In yet another embodiment, the semi-rigid material sections are made of a polymer, wherein the polymer is for example polypropylene or polycarbonate. The polypropylene and polycarbonate may be from 0.030 to 0.20 inches in thickness. Alternatively, the semi-rigid material sections are made of a polymer fiber that when heated becomes semi-rigid, such as the polymer fiber Fosshape™.

In still another embodiment, the outer circular rim portion comprises a semi-rigid material core covered by cloth, wherein the cloth is a heavy cloth material such as a canvas-type material, for example Marpat™.

In yet another embodiment, the bill portion is comprises a compressed polymer foam core covered by cloth, wherein the compressed polymer foam core is made of polyvinylchloride and the cloth is made of a heavy cloth material such as a canvas-type material, for example Marpat™.

In another embodiment, the utility cover further comprises one or more vent apertures on either or both of the left side or the right side of the cup-shaped crown portion.

In yet another embodiment, the utility cover further comprises a stretchable portion on the outer circular rim portion and/or the inner circular rim portion such that when affixed to the circular bottom, the stretchable portion is positioned on the circular bottom on the back side of the cup-shaped crown portion.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a plurality of semi-rigid material sections placed in the appropriate pattern for an eight point military utility cover and affixed to a cloth material used to prepare the cover.

FIG. 2 shows the pattern design for an eight point military utility cover on a cloth material that has been cut to size and ready to be folded in to the final shape for the crown.

FIG. 3 shows the pattern design for an eight point military utility cover with each of the eight corners folded over and ready to be sewn.

FIG. 4 shows the pattern design for an eight point military utility cover with each of the eight corners folded over and sewn. Looped regions are shown along the perimeter edge where these corners are sewn. These looped regions are later trimmed.

FIG. 5 shows a semi-rigid thin polymer that can be folded and sewn before the looped regions are trimmed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning as are commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which this invention belongs. All patents, patent applications and publications referred to throughout the disclosure herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the event that there is a plurality of definitions for a term herein, those in this section prevail.

The term “affixed” as used herein refers to both physical methods of attaching one element of the invention to another such as by nail, screw, rivet and the like as well as to compositions that may be used to attach one element of the invention to another such as adhesive, fusing, brazing, welding and the like.

The term “semi-rigid” as used herein refers to the material sections of the present invention that introduce a rigidness to the fabric to which these sections are associated and provides a stiffness greater than the cloth itself thereby preventing wrinkling of the fabric during use. The types of materials used to prepare the semi-rigid material sections include sections that may be prepared from several different gauges of sheet polymer as well as materials that are as flexible as the fabric used to prepare the invention but when heated form a semi-rigid polymer sheet. Different gauge sheet polymer may be selected based on how the hat or cover is to be prepared. The thickness of the polymer may range from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm; in inches this range may be from about 0.010 to about 0.030. Types of polymer that may be used include, for example, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, nylon and the like. Thicker gauge polymer sections may be cut separately and applied to the cloth in the desired pattern before the cloth is folded and stitched into the shape of the hat or cover. Alternatively, lighter gauge sheet polymer may be used that does not require multiple pieces be cut, but allows for a single donut-shaped piece to be prepared from the polymer sheet that can then be bent into shape with the cloth and folded before stitching. The extra folded portions of the lighter gauge polymer and cloth can then be cut and removed before the other elements of the hat or cover are affixed. In another method, a heat sensitive polymer felt may be used and applied to the cloth during assembly. Once a portion of the hat or cover is complete and before another element of the hat is affixed, it is heat treated, which allows the fibers to adhere to one another forming a semi-rigid structure. One type of polymer fiber that may be used in Fosshape™ sold by Wonderflex World (Brentwood, N.H.)

The term “cloth” as used herein refers to woven material that is generally flexible with the degree of flexibility dependent on the specific materials thickness. In the present invention, the eight-point utility cover is generally for use in the military wherein garments worn by enlisted personnel must be of a grade and fabric that will withstand repeated use in the field under relatively extreme conditions when compared to conditions experienced by civilian personnel. Because of this, the cloth used to prepare military garments is of heavier weight and have approved patterns that help camouflage military personnel during operations. Heavier weight cloths include the military fabrics sold by Milliken Military Fabrics (Spartanburg, S.C.) and include Marpat™ fabrics.

The present invention is an eight point military utility cover having a cup-shaped crown portion, an outer circular rim portion, an inner circular rim portion and a semi-rigid bill. The crown portion has an enclosed top, an open circular bottom, a front, a back, a left side and a right side, wherein the circular bottom has an inner and an outer side. The outer circular rim portion is affixed to the outer circular bottom of the cup-shaped crown portion. The inner circular rim portion is affixed to the inner circular bottom of the cup-shaped crown portion. The semi-rigid bill portion is affixed to the circular rim oriented and extending from the front of the cup-shaped crown portion. The crown portion is prepared from a first piece and a second piece of cloth, wherein a plurality of semi-rigid material sections are adhered to the first piece of cloth; one semi-rigid material section on the front, one semi-rigid material section on the back, three semi-rigid material sections on the left side and three semi-rigid material sections on the right side, wherein the second piece of cloth is adhered to the plurality of semi-rigid material sections on the first piece of cloth forming a three layered sheet. The three layered sheet is folded into the cup-shaped crown and the folds are stitched to maintain said cup-shape of the crown.

I. Cloth

A variety of cloths or woven fabrics may be used to prepare the hat or cover of the present invention. While heavy duty materials are preferred for military use, other lesser weight materials may be used when preparing these same hats or covers for civilian use. The primary limitation for the use of lesser weight material cloths is that they be able to withstand and maintain their integrity when affixed to and stitched over the semi-rigid material sections to prepare a hat or cover of the present invention. One skilled in the art could easily test materials intended for use by preparing a prototype and introducing the prototype to anticipated environmental conditions to determine its suitability for a particular use.

A military garment must use material that complies with requirements set forth by the government for type, color and/or pattern. The eight point utility cover when prepared for military use may be prepared from a variety of approved materials sold by a number of suppliers including Milliken Military Fabrics (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Herculite (Emigsville, Pa.). A specific material of interest for the production of eight point utility covers for Marines is Marpat™ fabrics. Other fabrics that could be used include ABU (Airman Battle Uniform) digital tiger stripe utilized by the U.S. Air Force, AOR-1 (NWU Type I, Type II or Type III) digital pattern utilized by the U.S. Navy, Desert Camouflage Pattern three-color and six-color Woodland and Universal Camouflage Pattern digital utilized by the U.S. Army, and Tactical Assault Camouflage (TACAM) Woodland utilized by the U.S. Counterterrorism Center. Hats and covers of this type may also be made for civilian commercial purchase using any number of camouflage patterns used in other countries such as the Australian Multicam Woodland, the Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) digital, the Finish M05 pattern digital, the Mexican marina Trans Jungle (US4CES), the British Multi-Terrain pattern and the Chinese Type 07 pattern digital.

The patterns for the hat or cover can be cut from sheet cloth or fabric before the application of the semi-rigid material sections or the sections may be applied to the fabric of cloth before the pattern is cut. In one method, the pattern is first applied to the cloth or fabric. This can be accomplished by providing a drawing of the pattern directly on the reverse side of the cloth. Once the pattern is applied, the semi-rigid material section may then be adhered to their specific locations following the pattern on the cloth.

In some patterns, air holes may be punched in desired locations with the perimeter of the hole being stitched to prevent fraying or grommets may be affixed to secure the edges

II. Adhesives

A variety of adhesives may be used with the present invention to adhere the semi-rigid material sections to the fabric or cloth before stitching. Preferably, these adhesives do not soak into or saturate the fabric but adhere the surface of the fabric or cloth to the semi-rigid material sections. It is preferable that the adhesive maintain contact between the cloth or fabric and the semi-rigid material sections for the life of the garment but this is not required. In one method of preparation, the semi-rigid material sections are sealed within the hat or cover having cloth or fabric on both side and stitching completely around the semi-rigid material sections. In view of this type of construction, the loss of adhesive gripping after the hat or cover has been completed, does not reduce the non-wrinkling capability of this construction since the sections are secured in place by stitching.

The adhesive could be applied by brushing onto the semi-rigid material sections, which are then adhered to the fabric or cloth at desired locations or vice versa. Liquid adhesives are known in the art. One example is Singer Stitch Free Fabric Glue that can be purchased online at Target (Minneapolis, Minn.). Alternatively, the adhesive could be sprayed on the cloth or fabric and the semi-rigid material sections placed on the sprayed cloth in the desired locations before stitching or vice versa. Spray adhesives are also known in the art. One example for a spray fabric adhesive is 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive-Low VOC sold over the internet at Uline (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.). Another alternative would be the use of a double sided adhesive tape that could be applied to the semi-rigid material section that could then be applied to the cloth or fabric in the desired locations before stitching. A variety of double sided tapes may be used. One example is Killer Red™ that may be obtained from Bron (Denver, Colo.).

III. Semi-Rigid Material Sections

The semi-rigid material sections include the sections that are applied in the cup-shaped crown portion, the inner circular rim, the semi-rigid bill portion, and the outer circular rim portion. These semi-rigid material sections may be prepared from sheets of a variety of relatively flexible polymeric plastics such as polypropylene, polyvinylchloride or nylon. The bill may additionally be made of a polyvinylchloride polymer foam core. The thickness of the polymer sheet utilized will depend on the desired firmness of the sections of the hat or cover produced to resist wrinkling while at the same time allow for ease of cleaning. The thickness of the polymer may range from about 0.005 to about 0.30, from about 0.007 to about 0.25, about 0.010 to about 0.20, about 0.013 to about 0.18, about 0.005, about 0.010, about 0.015, about 0.020, about 0.025, about 0.030, about 0.050, about 0.10, about 0.15, about 0.20, about 0.25 or about 0.30. The semi-rigid material sections may be cut freehand with a cutting tool such as scissors or razor blade or they may be die cut or laser cut.

When applying the semi-rigid sections to the cloth, the adhesive may be affixed as double sided tape or as a sprayed onto the semi-rigid sections, which are then adhered to the cloth at a desired location preferably identified by a pattern provided on the cloth. Alternatively, adhesive may be sprayed or applied as double sided tape on the cloth wherein the semi-rigid sections are then adhered. One skilled in the art may use more than one type of adhesive and may provide the adhesive both on the cloth and on the semi-rigid sections.

IV. Preparation

The hat or cover may be prepared utilizing a variety of methods and in a variety of steps that may be required to be performed in a particular order. One example of a method that may be used to prepare the hat or cover is provided in the following steps:

-   -   Preparation of crown semi-rigid material sections: polypropylene         semi-rigid polymer sheet is traced using a template of pre-sized         crown sections, the squares are numbered, the polymer sheet is         provided with adhesive on both sides using a double sided tape         and each section is then cut from the sheet.     -   Preparing the interior cloth section: a template for the cloth         that will form the interior of the hat or cover is laid over the         desired cloth, the adhesive protective cover is peeled off of         the semi-rigid material sections prepared above and they are         adhered in their proper location identified by the template.     -   Preparing the exterior cloth section: peel off the adhesive         protective cover from the semi-rigid material sections presently         adhered to the interior cloth section, place the exterior cloth         section (pattern up) onto the interior cloth section from above,         iron, cut out notches between semi-rigid material sections from         the interior cloth section and trim the outer perimeter edge to         about ½ inch from the semi-rigid sections.     -   Preparing air holes: on specific semi-rigid section that form         the sides of the hat or cover a desired number of holes in the         desired location are punched from the cloth and polymer and         grommets are set into the air holes covering and securing the         cloth edges to the semi-rigid polymer sections.     -   Stitching: If an emblem is desired, it is affixed at the desired         location prior to sewing the cup-shaped crown portion, the         semi-rigid polymer sections are brought together edge to edge         and the seam is sewn until the crown portion forms a cup-shape         and the excess cloth it trimmed where it will meet the brim of         the hat or cover.     -   Affixing the outer brim: the location of the outer brim is         measured and market on the outer edge of the cup-shaped crown         portion, the semi-rigid polymer section having a dimension of         about 1 3/16″W×24″L is cut from the polymer sheet, adhesive is         added to both sides using double sided tape, the protective         cover is peeled from one side of the brim, the outer brim is         affixed to the edge of the cup-shaped crown portion and trimmed         to the desired size.     -   Affixing the bill: the bill in prepared from a preformed         semi-rigid polyvinylchloride foam core on which the desired         cloth is stitched leaving extra cloth material on the connecting         edge of the bill, adhesive is applied to this extra cloth         material on the upper side of the bill, this upper portion of         the bill is then affixed to the interior side of the front of         the cup-shaped crown portion.     -   Affixing the outer brim cover and inner liner: two strips of         cloth having the dimension of about 25″L by 2⅜″W are cut, the         center of the strip is marked, adhesive is applied and the edges         of the cloth on each side are folded in toward the center line         and secured, the first strip, or outer brim cover, is sewn end         to end at the desired brim diameter, the protective adhesive         cover is removed from the outer brim above and the first strip         adhered to the outer brim, the second strip, or inner liner, is         sewn end to end at the desired brim diameter and adhesive         affixed to its outer side, the protective adhesive cover is         removed from the double sided adhesive tape and the second strip         is applied to the interior brim of the hat or cover.     -   Stitching: a seam is sewn at the top and bottom edges of the         outer brim cover and inner liner.

While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations and substitutions are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. An eight point military utility cover comprising: a cup-shaped crown portion having an enclosed top, an open circular bottom, a front, a back, a left side and a right side, said circular bottom having an inner and an outer side; an outer circular rim portion affixed to said outer circular bottom of said cup-shaped crown portion; an inner circular rim portion affixed to said inner circular bottom of said cup-shaped crown portion; and a semi-rigid bill portion affixed to said circular rim oriented and extending from said front of said cup-shaped crown portion, wherein said crown portion is prepared from a first piece and a second piece of cloth, wherein a plurality of semi-rigid material sections are adhered to said first piece of cloth; one semi-rigid material section on said front, one semi-rigid material section on said back, three semi-rigid material sections on said left side and three semi-rigid material sections on said right side, wherein said second piece of cloth is adhered to said plurality of semi-rigid material sections on said first piece of cloth forming a three layered sheet, wherein said three layered sheet is folded into said cup-shaped crown and wherein said folds are stitched to maintain said cup-shape of said crown.
 2. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said cup-shaped crown, said circular rim and said bill portion are prepared from a canvas-type material.
 3. The utility cover according to claim 2, wherein said canvas-type material is Marpat™.
 4. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said semi-rigid material sections are adhered to said first and/or said second piece of cloth by an adhesive tape.
 5. The utility cover according to claim 4, wherein said adhesive tape is double-sided adhesive tape.
 6. The utility cover according to claim 5, wherein said adhesive tape is Killer Red™.
 7. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said semi-rigid material sections are made of a polymer.
 8. The utility cover according to claim 7, wherein said polymer is polypropylene or polycarbonate.
 9. The utility cover according to claim 8, wherein said polypropylene is 0.030 to 0.20 inches in thickness.
 10. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said outer circular rim portion comprises a semi-rigid material core covered by cloth.
 11. The utility cover according to claim 10, wherein said cloth material is a canvas-type material.
 12. The utility cover according to claim 11, wherein said canvas-type material is Marpat™.
 13. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said semi-rigid bill portion bill portion is comprises a compressed polymer foam core covered by cloth.
 14. The utility cover according to claim 13, wherein said compressed polymer foam core is made of polyvinylchloride.
 15. The utility cover according to claim 13, wherein said cloth of said semi-rigid bill portion is made of a canvas-type material.
 16. The utility cover according to claim 1, further comprising vent apertures on either or both of said left side or said right side of said cup-shaped crown portion.
 17. The utility cover according to claim 1, further comprising a stretchable portion on said outer circular rim portion and/or said inner circular rim portion such that when affixed to said circular bottom, said stretchable portion is positioned on said circular bottom on the back side of said cup-shaped crown portion.
 18. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said semi-rigid material sections are made of a polymer fiber that when heated becomes semi-rigid.
 19. The utility cover according to claim 19, wherein said polymer fiber is Fosshape™.
 20. The utility cover according to claim 1, wherein said outer circular rim portion is made of a semi-rigid material covered by cloth. 